Autumn Maiden
by earthbound15
Summary: There's a new boy in town and could he be the one who can convince Nami to stay? Or will Nami leave behind Forget-Me-Not Valley forever? Read on and find out! Nami's thoughts on the new boy. NamixOC. K - T
1. Chapter 1: The new guy

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this chapter and probably for the rest of this fanfic so there! All the characters from Harvest Moon and Harvest Moon is owned by Natsume.**

* * *

**2nd of Spring**

_Aunty__ Ruby gave this to me. She told me, I was too quiet a__nd__ if I can't speak with my mouth to talk with a pen. _

_Sooooo.....What do you write in here? Well I suppose I better start off with who I am like I'm writing a story._

_I'm __Nami__. I have red hair a__nd I'm not much of a people person. I travel a lot, but lately I been feeling a kind__ of reluctance to travel._

_You know, I've never really thought of what it would be like to settle down for a long time. _

_I guess it's because I'm always travelling until I came here. Forget-Me-Not Valley._

_This place is different. I've travelled all around the world but this place is.....different is really all I can say to explain it. The locals here are so friendly you soon forget that you're not from here. They welcome you with arms wide open. And the scenery here is so beautiful and the colours so vibrant. The very air seems to be alive, rich with smells. I guess that's what draws me to this place._

_Well, I have to stop writing or I'll be late to help Celia._

* * *

I stretched back in my chair cracking my knuckles. Holding the diary to me as I searched for a hiding place for it in my room. My room was pretty simple and small as I lived in the Inner Inn. Ah ha! I found the perfect spot! There's a false bottom in one of my drawers. It'll be safe there.

I glanced at the clock. 7:30! Already! Oh boy I better get moving.

Quickly, I left the Inn and rushed to Vesta's Farm.

I noticed him walking towards me but I didn't really see him until we crashed into each other. We both had a double KO and knocked each other off our feet the only difference between us was that the boy was carrying luggage, equipment for farming and had his arms full of seeds. We were both on the ground when, falling from the sky, was his seeds. One by one they fell onto his head like some corny cartoon. I couldn't help myself. I burst into laughter and the boy soon joined me, I couldn't stop laughing and everytime we slowed down, we would look at each other and start laughing again. Pretty soon we were gasping for air.

'I'm Jesse.' the boy gasped. He was wearing a blue farmer's outfit with a blue cap on top of his brown hair. He wore an air of easy confidence like a cloak and had a charming smile.

' Oh. I'm Nami. Sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going.'

I was helping gather all of his stuff when a shadow appeared on the ground in front of us. ' Well. You guys are getting along well which unusual since Nami doesn't bond with people often.'

I looked up; it was Celia wearing a smile on her face. She giggled, 'Just kidding! So you must be Jesse our new rival! Welcome to Forget-Me-Not Valley!'

So he's the new farmer huh? Well if he's thinking of competing against Vesta then he's in for a rude awakening. Almost no one can hope to best Vesta with her vegetables. Well, maybe I'll drop in later to give the rookie a few tips with his shipping.

' Well, see you around Nami!' Jesse waved and gave me a smile before heading in the direction I came. I watched him walk away for a little while and when I turned around to find Celia giving me an eyebrow raised look.

'What?'

Celia shook her head ' Nothing, nothing, nothing.' She turned away from me with a secretive smile on her face.

'WHAT!?'

'Nothing,' she said innocently,' you were late so I came up here to check if you were coming. Sooooo....... that guy was cute huh?'

I just stared at her until she looked away 'Jokes, jokes. You need to let not to take things so seriously.'

I'm not that serious am I?

The rest of the day was spent helping out in any little way I could as you see I'm not much of I farmer as I never learned, instead I help out with the shipping. I don't often work with them but if they ask for some extra help I don't mind. Sometimes it's nice working.

Before we knew it, it was getting dark and time for me to go home.

'Time to sell some seeds!' exclaimed Vesta. I secretly think the reason why she loves the shop so much is because she gets to chat with the people who drop by.

I waved goodbye to everyone and headed back home. I was reaching the bridge when it started raining. Aw, crap now I'm going to catch a cold! I started sprinting for the Inner Inn. I burst through the doors fully soaked despite my best efforts to try to stay dry.

'Hey Nami can you watch the Inn. I have to go out for a minute but I'll be back soon!' cried out Aunt Ruby as she pushed past me and out the door.

I glanced at the clock, 6:00pm. I'd better start dinner then. I walked into the kitchen dragging a muddy, wet trail after me. In the kitchen I started making gratin, my favourite.

I had just put it in the oven when there was a 'ding!'. A costumer huh?

DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!DING!

'ALRIGHT!!! I'M COMING!' I yelled as I exited the kitchen.

It was Jesse.

'Oh, hi Jesse. Are you here to stay a night?'

'Yep! Here to stay a night!'

That, startled a chuckle from me. 'But you already live here in the Valley!'

'Why are you looking after the Inn tonight Nami? Do you work for Ruby?'

'No but I don't mind looking after the Inn even though there aren't very many costumers. I'm indebted to Ruby after all; she's done so much for me. She's a bit like a mother to me now. Well, come visit me when you can I live upstairs.'

He smiled, ' Okay, well cya around!'

He walked away, leaving the Inn feeling more lonely then it was before. How does he make me smile so much?

'Ding'! Dinner was ready.

* * *

_Heya, I'm back!_

_Today was busy. I think tomorrow I'll go to the beach and hey maybe I'll even drop by the new kid's farm._

_Oh, I forgot to mention there's a new boy in town. His name's Jesse and he's going to be Vesta's rival. Good luck with that._

_Well better turn in for the night if I want to get up at a decent hour._

_

* * *

_

_Jesse's POV ~_

(This is when he's walking away from the Inn)

I shut the door behind me and caught the smell of.....gratin? Is that her favourite dish? Maybe I'll make that for her when I get a kitchen. I smiled and strolled back to my new home wracking my brains for the recipe for gratin.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2: The painting

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing!!!!!!!!!!! *sniffle* **

**Harvest Moon and all the characters belong to Natsume. I just use them for my own amusment. **

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyways, back to chapter. . .**

_

* * *

_

**3rd of Spring**

_This morning when it was freakishly early I was woken up by four excited and slightly sleepy girls at my _

_door. . ._

* * *

A bleary eyed me opened the door to my room to be greeted with painfully cheerful cries of 'Good Morning!'

'C'mon Nami! We can't wait forever you know! Get ready and grab a welcoming present for the new arrival!'

Muffy looked wide awake and just looking at her when she was a perked up and ready to go made me feel like closing the door on them and falling asleep again. But if it was to welcome the new guy, Jesse, I guess it wouldn't be that much trouble as long as they didn't expect much from me and didn't talk to me either.

'I'll be right down.' I mumbled to them. I winced at the responding 'Yays!'

Five minutes later I was downstairs ready to go when Lumina asked me where my gift was. I didn't have anything so I just brought some left over gratin from last night hoping it would be enough.

Muffy, Celia and Lumina led the way to his farm while I hung back with Flora, the closest thing to a best friend for me in this town. Flora had brought some of her curry, Muffy brought a drink (that was made by Griffin), Lumina brought a small box that no one was allowed to see the inside of and Celia brought some upgraded seeds from Vesta's farm.

The town was quiet as we entered his farm. There was a dog house in front of us, a house on the right that belonged to Takakura, the house on the left next to the dog house belonged to Jesse and there was a whole lot of weeds, stumps, boulders, stones and branches surrounding one peach tree in bloom.

We gazed in silent disbelief at the mess on his fields.

Lumina was the first to voice our thoughts, 'What. A. Mess.'

'Well, he did only get here yesterday.' Celia, always the peace bringer, spoke quietly.

'Come on let's go welcome him already.' Flora pushed past them and marched right up to his door and knocked three times.

1-2-3

Half a minute past before the door opened to reveal Jesse in his farming clothes ready to go work on his new farm.

'Oh, hello girls. Why are you here? Would you like to come inside?' inquired Jesse.

He ushered us inside. The inside was much better than his fields. The one roomed house was bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. It was pretty empty except for a bed, a phone, a bookcase, a wardrobe and a trash bin. There were a couple of empty boxes stacked neatly in a corner, obviously all his clothes were already put away and a few personal items were placed around the room, like the painting of a farm hanging on the wall, a bedside clock and two pictures, one of a happy smiling family and one with a little boy and a girl.

'We just came to welcome you to Forget-Me-Not Valley!' cried out Muffy.

She presented him with his welcoming gift. As did Lumina, Flora, Celia and finally me. I quietly walked up to him and gave him the gratin.

'Nami!' He exclaimed 'It's good to see you again. How's Ruby? She's come back yet?'

My head dropped to study the floor 'Um, yeah. Ruby's good and she's back. Yeah.' I mumbled. 'Hope you like gratin.'

He grinned and opened the container the gratin was sitting in and smelt it. 'It smells great! Thank you Nami.' He looked around at everyone 'Thank you, everyone. I'm happy you all came to see me.' The comment was directed at everyone but he was staring at me. My head decided to study the floor again just in case it missed any interesting specks of dirt.

The girls proceeded to interrogate him about where he was from etc.

While they were busy with that I walked over to look at the painting on the wall. There was a house that looked much like the one Jesse lived in now, a horse barn but the sandy coloured horse was outside grazing, a couple of chickens pecking at the dirt and geese swimming and drinking from the clear pond, a few cows and judging by the crops it was Summer. In front of the house: in organized rows were tomatoes ripe, red and juicy looking were hanging on their plants, bright yellow corn reflecting the sun's rays , the yellow of the corn contrasting with the green of the stalks, the tips of onions were visible, pumpkin vines were curling elegantly in their rows and the buds of pineapple were visible. Graceful green trees cast their shade onto the ground giving relief to the sheep with their thick wooly coats resting beneath them.

This is a painting of a farm in all its glory. The artistry was so realistic it was like looking through a window.

This. . . this painting. It feels so familiar. Like a half remembered dream or memory. This painting confuses me. When I look at it, it makes me feel like I lost a close friend.

'Nami?'

Huh? I looked up to see Jesse watching me carefully. I looked past him to notice that everyone else had gone.

'Nami? Are you ok?'

Jesse's question brought my attention back to him. ' Oh, yes I'm fine. Why do you ask?'

'It's just that,' Jesse's eyes wore a guarded expression ' you've been staring at the painting for quite some time now.' He hesitated as if unsure how I would react 'You've been looking at it for a while and you starting crying right after all the girls left. You didn't even notice it. You looked like you were trying to unravel some puzzle.'

'Really?' I put my hands on my face and surprised myself when I felt tracks of wetness down my cheeks. 'Oh. Sorry. Sorry if I worried you. I should go now.'

I left without another word and before he got the chance to say goodbye.

_

* * *

_

I ended up going with the girls today to welcome Jesse.

_I gave him the left over gratin form last night. I hope he likes it._

_There. . .there was a painting on his walls. It was beautiful but I felt like I've seen it somewhere. Nah. I couldn't have. I mean I've always liked paintings but I haven't seen that many. Maybe I'm going crazy. _

_I'm going to go out now._

* * *

_Jesse's POV~_

I was surprised when I saw five girls greet me this morning to welcome me. I meet them all yesterday as I spent my time meeting my fellow villagers and settling down yesterday. I was lucky. I got some gratin from Nami, maybe now I can figure out the recipe. I wonder if it was from last night?

I got a variety of stuff from them. I was touched. But when Nami was looking at the painting, she worried me. She looked like she was about to be sucked into it. You know like those movies where they have a portal that sucks you in, first with your mind before pulling your whole body in.

I decided to visit the Goddess's Pond yesterday. What I saw kind of shocked me. I mean it's not everyday especially when you first move into a place that you see a witch and the Goddess of the Valley. I stumbled onto a particularly nasty argument between them. Obviously it was some sort of rivalry or something. They didn't even notice me. Well, the witch was mumbling to herself and then suddenly there was a 'Ta Da!' and the Goddess herself appeared along with some short fellows that called themselves sprites. The witch wanted to make the Goddess stop saying 'Ta Da' but she accidentally turned her to stone. When she tried to undo her spell she ended up sending the Goddess away to another world, along with the sprites! And now it's my job to rescue the Harvest Goddess and all the sprites!

Argh! I didn't ask for this! All I wanted to do was take care of the farm that Uncle Takakura (my father's friend) asked me to do.

(Starts mumbling and not making any sense. Please stand by while technical difficulties are being fixed and Jesse comes back to his senses. Thank You!)

* * *

_~Back to Nami~_

I packed a backpack with necessities for an afternoon break if I could find one. I want to be alone but it's almost impossible to unless you want to do it at 2 in the morning but even then there still is someone doing something.

I brought some snacks, water, a jumper (even though it's Spring it still gets chilly) and a good book that I still haven't finished yet.

I bid my goodbyes to Aunt Ruby and told her that I'd be back soon. She's so sweet but whenever I leave with a backpack or something she gets that worried frown. I know she trusts me but she still feels worried that I'll leave. She knows I'm a traveler and I won't stay here for very long. I've stayed here in Forget-Me-Not Valley for about half a year already.

My favourite place to be is Turtle Pond. Sometimes, Nina joins me. She's nice and we don't talk much but we prefer it that way and sometimes Gustafa drops by to play me music.

But today I want to be alone. There's this secret spot that no one knows about as far as I know. The Valley is surrounded by steep cliffs but every one of those cliffs are connected and there's a place where there are enough foot and hand holds to go up and down. Up there you get a good view of the Valley below. This 'secret path' is near where that tombstone for Jack the Farm King or something. Whenever I pass I always pay my respects of course.

I'm quite a climber. When I was little I would climb trees and walls and everything just to see what was on the other side or to get a better view or to see if I could discover something new. I guess that's why I'm a traveler, because I want to see everything.

I finally reached the place. The rocky wall looked the same. I looked around to check if there was anyone nearby. No one. That's good. Hurriedly I started scaling the wall and very soon my hand reached the top of the cliff and just as I was about to push myself up to the top, the rock that my left leg was on, crumbled.

Leaving me hanging.


	3. Chapter 3: Just Hangin'

**Disclaimer: Harvest Moon and all of its characters belong to Natsume.**

**Just would like to say thanks to Red Girl87 for my first review for this story! Thank you! **

* * *

Aw, great! Just great!

I'm stuck up here two stories off the ground hanging here by one arm. So much for relaxation and if anyone walks past they'll know how to get up here and if I drop I'll probably break my leg or arm, whichever one I land on first.

Awwww man.

* * *

My arm was growing weak. Ok now I had to act quick or suffer some sort of extreme pain. Alright so my right arm is holding me up if I could just get my other arm up there then-

My trail of thought was interrupted by me screaming 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHH-'

The ledge had crumbled and I fell. I curled myself into a tight ball hoping I wouldn't hit anything too hard when, suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore.

Strange. . .there is no pain. . . did I maybe die while falling? My poor heart had beat itself out? Maybe if I just stay here.

A few minutes passed and I grew aware of something holding me, its warmth keeping me from getting cold and a soft breeze kissed my cheek.

Ok, I'm definitely not dead. . .I think.

I cracked open an eyelid to see a fuzzy blue piece of clothing. Curious, I opened my eyes and my gaze was met with worried brown ones. It was Jesse. As soon as he saw I was conscious he immediately looked relieved. He smiled 'You're heavy you know.'

That unexpected remark made me smile a bit.

'Sorry.'

He put me on the ground slowly.

'Are you ok, Nami?'

'Yeah, I think I'm ok.'

Although, tomorrow morning I'll probably be all bruised.

Jesse looked up at the cliff I was climbing, 'What were you doing up there?' He said distractedly.

'Uh, Nothing!'

He ignored me and started climbing the cliff by himself. He was about half way up when he glanced down at me, 'Hey, this time if I fall you make sure you catch me ok?'

I could only stare and nod.

A few minutes past and he finally reached the top. 'Hey Nami?' He called down to me, 'Can I hang a rope ladder from up here to make it safer for you next time u decide to climb up here?'

'Whatever,' I mumbled, I was a bit annoyed the ledge didn't crumble for him 'Can we hide it behind something because not many people know about this.'

He glanced around for a while before he spotted a vine/bush that dangled all the way to the ground. Above it was a conveniently placed boulder. He walked over to it and tied the ropy bit of the ladder around it in a tight secure knot. He then threw the ladder down to me. The ladder was difficult to find unless you knew what you were looking for. Slowly I climbed it, hoping that the knot wouldn't give way.

I eventually reached the top. Jesse offered his hand to help pull me up but I ignored it.

I didn't need any help.

My mind stubbornly refused to remember that I might be just a big splat of Nami on the ground if he wasn't there.

When I reached the top I became aware of the fact he may want to follow me around to make sure I was ok. I turned to face him 'Hey, I appre-'

He was walking away from me. He paused and without looking at me,' Huh? What? I'm just going to explore, you stay safe now.' He kept walking without a glance at me.

I smiled to myself.

That guy isn't so bad. I thought he was like Marlin is to Celia. Clingy, concerned and babysits you.

He was walking in the direction of the sea. I watched him walk away for a bit, noticing for the first time he held a fishing rod. That he could climb the cliff wall with the fishing rod was impressive and my impression of him grew a bit but when I realized it was only 2pm, it shrunk. He couldn't have finished cleaning up the fields already especially after he had to entertain us this morning.

That's none of my business. It's not your problem if the farmer is too lazy to do his own fields and would rather go fishing. You came here to relax.

Whenever I come up here I always go to the cliff overlooking the Goddess Pond. My favourite part is where the waterfall is. In order to go across you have to climb the trees.

I finally reached the place. The scenery here is always beautiful and the water makes the air lovely and cool in the summer. I could see Muffy and Lumina chatting down below me.

My feet for some reason, kept walking until they stopped at the cliffs overlooking Jesse's farm. I know I said I didn't care but I was curious at whether Jesse was the type of person to leave his farm alone.

What I saw amazed me. I mean it wasn't perfect but it was a start.

All the weeds were cleared away as were all the stones and branches but there still were boulders and stumps littering his land.

On the right side of the field (right as in when you enter the farm) in neat rows going vertically down were prepared land dotted with seeds. Little sign posts were placed systematically along the rows to indicate what sort of crop would one day be harvested there.

On the left side of the field (left as in. . .blah blah same as above) grass seeds had been scattered and the area had been marked out to show where future buildings would be. The silo would be next to two animal barns, two bird sheds would be surrounding a future pond, in rows of twos would be the mushroom shed, maker shed, stone and lumber shed. There were many empty 2x2 squares where trees will one day grow.

I had to admit, I was impressed. That he had managed to complete so much in less than a day, still have time for fishing and he hadn't passed out yet. He may really be a good rival for Vesta.

I wonder whether he's having much luck with his fishing?

I decided to see where he went and retraced my steps. It took me almost an hour to find him but I did. I had to backtrack several times as there isn't a real path up here so it gets confusing.

Jesse was sitting on the edge of the cliff next to the sea, his fishing line seemed like an endless string dangling into the sea. Next to him was his catch, one small fish and a pile of cans and boots.

I walked up to him without saying anything and sat next to him (on the side without the fish and etcetera). He looked up at my arrival but said nothing. I started reading.

We just sat there for the rest of the afternoon in silence. The silence wasn't awkward or uncomfortable it was just a friendly silence. I was glad he didn't say anything to me.

I helped him carry his catch back to his farm. At the fork he bid me goodbye. It was the first thing he had said to me since I joined him and it kind of startled me.

'Hey Jesse. The best time to catch fish is late at night and before nine in the morning.'

He smiled and walked away.

* * *

_Today was. . .different._

_I was climbing a cliff when Jesse ended up saving me because the rock crumbled._

_We ended up spending the rest of the day together. I did end up relaxing._

_Yeah. Maybe I was imagining things about that painting. I probably just really liked it or something._

* * *

I was in the painting.

No, I'm not in the painting. I'm just wherever the painting was painted. The scenery was different. There weren't any animals except for a few chickens and the land wasn't very developed. Maybe this was before the farm reached its peak?

I'm standing at the entrance of the farm where I can see the whole area. The sun is beating down on my back.

Yep, it's Summer alright. I walked over to stand underneath the trees. The shade gave some relief from the heavy heat.

The slamming of a door caught my attention. The farm door had been slammed and a young boy walked out of it. His hands were curled in fists, his eyes trying to hold back tears. He was obviously trying not to show his emotions. The door opened again and this time an elderly man came out. He slowly walked up to the boy. The man tried comforting him but the boy just shrugged off the gentle hand on his shoulder. The man tried to say something to the boy. He just ran away a bit and turned to face the man.

'THEY'RE NOT DEAD, GRANDPA! THEY'RE NOT! They're not! They can't!' He screamed at his grandfather. His screams of denial slowly quieted, the boy's composure disappeared. He started weeping uncontrollably. The grandfather now took a hesitant step forward before running as fast as his legs could take him and this time the boy allowed himself to be comforted.

I looked away and discovered there were tears on my cheeks as well.


	4. Chapter 4: Music

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harvest Moon and all it's characters belong to Natsume and the song 'Dream Catch Me' doesn't belong to me either.**

**I'm sorry about the last one. Maybe I should just not have it in there...**

**Wells enjoy!**

* * *

**14th of Spring**

_I was woken this morning to the sound of Aunt Ruby singing. Her singing is beautiful but she sings so rarely it's kind of sad. Aunt Ruby only seems to sing when she thinks no one is listening. _

_Music. It's wonderful, Gustafa believes it's food for the heart. Maybe he's right. _

_Today is the Spring Thanksgiving: where guys give cookies to the girls. I bet Muffy is going to receive heaps of them. She gets them from everyone, her friends, neighbors and Griffin. Everyone always gets cookies. I haven't been here long enough to experience a Spring Thanksgiving. I have never received cookies but I don't mind. I mean I don't intend to stay here forever, I don't want to be tied down. _

_Although once, someone did give me cookies, long ago in a far away town. He was nice to me and we went out on a couple of dates but then I left for a change of scenery. I wonder how he is?_

* * *

The strange dream that had haunted my mind since the fourth had faded into the back of my mind, locked inside my box of memories.

These past ten days I've been keeping to myself, pondering the strangeness of the dream. How did I know what the farm looked like in the past before it was painted? Why did it have that feeling of familiarity? These thoughts had whirled around inside my mind like a hurricane struggling to break free of the bonds of my head. I barely saw anyone except for Aunt Ruby and Rock.

I walked down the stairs and entered the lower floor. It was pretty early. 6am. The lobby's empty but the door leading to the kitchen was ajar. The music of Aunt Ruby's song drifted out of the kitchen and around the lobby.

I shouldn't disturb her.

I decided to go out. I pushed open the door and started walking towards the beach.

'Nami! Wait!'

I turned, it was Jesse hurrying towards me. The echoes of his call bounced around and off the quiet houses.

He stopped in front of me breathing a bit heavily. He straightened and reached inside of his backpack. At last he pulled out some cookies wrapped prettily in red cellophane with purple curling ribbon holding it closed.

'This is for you, Nami. Happy Spring Thanksgiving!'

I stared at the cookies sitting on his outstretched hand. I glanced up at him, he was smiling like he always was. Almost timidly, I slowly accepted the cookies he was offering me.

'Thanks Jesse.' I blushed slightly.

'No problem! Where have you been? I haven't seen you for ages. Are you sick?' He asked, concerned.

'No, I'm fine.' I told him quietly.

'Where are you going today?'

'To the beach.'

I turned and walked towards the beach, the cookies hanging from my hands. After a few minutes I noticed he was strolling along with me. I halted in my tracks. 'Where are you going?' Hoping he would say that he was just passing through but even so, a small part of me wanted him to stay with me.

'Oh, I'm just going to be hanging around here. There are a lot of plants I can harvest around here.' He glanced around to bring my attention to the messy fields around us. The fields were filled with weeds, grasses and flowers.

'Mmm, I see.'

We spilt paths at the turtle pond; I continued to walk towards the beach while he turned right and started harvesting.

As I entered the beach my eyes were greeted with a beautiful sight. The beach was empty and the soft sound of waves crashing against the sandy shore was a reassuring sound, the sand a pale almost glowing white, the sea reflected the pale blue sky and seagulls flew across the sky calling out to one another.

I stood in my usual spot staring out to the ocean letting my thoughts flow freely around my head. I looked at the sea, so calm. I waded into the water holding my pants up and away from the water flowing around me. The fish that fill the seas in the early mornings crowded around my feet tickling me. I let out a small giggle. Quickly, I swooped down to see if I could catch one barehanded.

Nope, no luck.

My father taught me how to catch fish when I was little.

'You have to be patient and 'tickle' them until they're so relaxed, they can be just taken out of the water, Nami.' He said to me a long time ago.

But I had no patience for this today and was just randomly jabbing at the water hoping I could happen upon a catch.

Tired of harassing the fish I waded out of the water and glanced at the log to my left. It was always there logged in the wet sand, a canoe floating by it, held in place and prevented from disappearing into the sea by a damp rope. I plodded over to the blankets and umbrella on the opposite side of the log, lay down and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

'_There's a place I go when I'm alone_

_Do anything I want, be anyone I want to be_

_But it is us I see and I cannot believe I'm falling_

_That's where I'm going, where are you going?_

_Hold it close won't let this go'_

I was asleep for about an hour when I was woken by this song. Curious, I grabbed the cookies and walked over to the entrance of the beach and peered out.

Jesse was bent over and busily pulling up anything he could find and storing it in his rucksack and was absent mindedly singing 'Dream Catch Me'. He straightened and wiped his forehead on his sleeve. He glanced at me in surprise and coloured slightly.

'Nami! How long have you been standing there?'

'Uh, not too long.'

He blushed and asked, 'How much of me singing did you hear?'

My head dropped to look at the floor, 'Not much just the chorus.'

'Ah, I see.'

Silence stretched out between us, neither of us sure what to do or say.

Unusually, I was the first to speak, 'You sing well, Jesse. You should sing at the bar sometime.'

'Really!? You think I should?'

I nodded.

'Would you like to come over later and hear a song?' He asked shyly.

Another nod. At this point I was turning slightly red as well. 'I guess I'll see you later then.' And I left for home.

* * *

'I'm back!' I called out in the still empty lobby.

Aunt Ruby stuck her head out of the kitchen, 'Oh, so you are! Come in and have breakfast with us.'

I quickly ran upstairs to put the cookies away before I walked into the kitchen and sat down somewhere on the table, Rock was sitting across from me and Aunt Ruby sat at the head of the table. The table was laden with an assortment of breakfast foods. Closest to me was some omelets and across the rest of the table was omelet rice, savoury pancakes, French toast, pancakes, rice soup, porridge, toast and mugs of hot milk, hot chocolate and juices were in front of us. Aunt Ruby loved to cook and that's what she would do every meal time, cook. Excessively.

Well, excessive for most NORMAL people anyway but Rock always managed to eat everything that was in front of him. **(A/N: No offense to Rock lovers intended)**

When Rock finished eating he pushed himself away from the table and sighed, 'Mum you always do cook stuff the best.'

I raised an eyebrow. Stuff? Doesn't he mean food?

'Well, I'm off to go see Lumina.' Rock smiled and started clearing the dishes off the table.

'Rock, you should ask her out sometime or invite her for dinner one day.' Aunt Ruby smiled as she said this.

Surprisingly, Rock didn't cringe at this idea, instead he grinned, 'Yeah, maybe I will. Thanks Mum.' After putting all the dishes in the sink he left, heading for Romana's mansion.

I got up after he left and started washing the dishes while Aunt Ruby left to stand by the reception.

Everyone has someone for them in this town. Do I have someone? Well, maybe Gustafa but I haven't really spoken to him in a while.

No. I _don't_ want anyone. Yes. No one.

I stacked the last plate on the dish rack and walked up to my room. The door creaked softly as I entered my cozy room. The cookies were on my table, the cellophane casting red specks of light across the walls. I picked up the cookies and sat down on my bed. Carefully, I loosened the ties holding the package closed and breathed in deeply. It smelt. . .homey? Wait, how did he make these anyway? He doesn't have a kitchen.

A puzzled expression crossed my face as I took a cookie out and took a bite.

My first thought was YUM!

Wow. These are good, he can really cook. They were soft, full of buttery goodness and he wasn't stingy with the choc chips. The cookie melted slowly, making saliva flood into my mouth.

I was in bliss.

After finishing the first one I resisted the temptation to gobble down the rest and calmly set them aside for later before my resolve weakened and I pounced on them. I took another one out and savoured the taste. This time I made sure I'd stop eating them; I walked downstairs with them in my hands and determinedly shoved them into the back of the fridge. As I walked out of the kitchen I noticed Aunt Ruby looking at me oddly.

'My, my, my. Nami! You got cookies! From who!?'

I looked uncomfortable as I answered casually, 'Oh, just from a friend.'

'A friend. _Really?_' Aunt Ruby looked skeptical.

'Yeah.' I hurriedly walked out to avoid any more questions.

* * *

I was walking aimlessly, when my feet brought me to a halt outside of the excavation site.

I haven't seen Flora in a while, I guess now wouldn't be too bad as long as she isn't busy. I entered the dark opening and entered to see Flora and Carter facing each other.

'Hey is it okay if I make Curry Rice for dinner tonight?' asked Flora.

'No, no, no!' objected Carter loudly.

'At least this time I warned you before I made a surprise dinner', shot back Flora looking a bit miffed, 'Oh, are you angry?'

Carter sighed and said nothing.

I walked a bit further in so they could see me, Flora's head shot up and she grinned at me.

'Nami! Good to see you!'

'Mmm, same here.'

Flora skipped towards me and linked arms while dragging me in the direction of the exit, 'Hey Carter, I'll take my lunch break now!' she called over her shoulder.

She dragged me past their tent and sat on the ground next to the rock guarding the waterfall. Flora sat back a bit and sunned her face, enjoying the silence like I was.

I had met Flora one week after I arrived in Forget-Me-Not Valley. It was raining when she entered the inn late one night.

_~Flashback~_

_I was reading a book silently in a corner listening to the rain. _

_The door opened, I looked up because it was unusual for people to be out and about at this hour. A girl around my age walked through the door, fully drenched, her hair in damp spirals framing purple eyes that were hidden slightly by spectacles._

'_Hey Ruby. Got any food?' she had a soft earthly voice that filled the room._

_Ruby smiled and disappeared into the kitchen, a few moments later the sound of cooking filled the air. The damp blonde sighed and looked around the room, her eyes resting on me._

'_Oh! You must be Nami! Sorry I haven't come to introduce myself earlier but I keep late hours and I'm always busy at the excavation site.' She stuck out her hand._

_I was a bit slow and stared at her hand before she said 'My hand. Don't worry it's not poisonous!', she exclaimed cheerfully, 'I want to welcome you.'_

_When I still didn't reply she took my hand and shook it exaggeratedly before taking a seat next to me._

_I remember at the time thinking;_

_Oh great. Now I won't be able to read in peace if she keeps talking to me._

_But those thoughts vanished when I saw she had pulled out her own book. It was small with a battered brown cover and was slightly damp. She sighed and tried to shake the water out. It didn't work. The girl tiredly smoothed the pages out to the best of her ability and started reading. _

_Together we were reading until Aunt Ruby told her that her food was ready. The girl with purple eyes thanked Aunt Ruby warmly before entering the kitchen. _

_Time passed and I got further and further into the book when the door to the kitchen opened again. The girl, much drier now thanks to the heater, walked out and bid her goodbyes to Aunt Ruby. She was exiting the Inn when I stopped her._

'_What's your name?'_

_She grinned, 'Flora.'_

_~ End of Flashback~_

Since then we had become good friends.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting. We had spent the afternoon just enjoying each other's company, talking for short periods.

Flora glanced up at the sun's position, perplexed, ' What!? The sun's setting!? Oh no! Poor Carter! I left him all alone to do our work.'

Flora got up and left, hurrying towards the excavation site.

I sat there for a while longer, enjoying the peace of the Valley and the slowly darkening scenery.

I sighed; I should go if I want to go visit Jesse before dinner. Slowly I got up, my joints creaking from sitting in on position for way too long.

I walked back towards the houses slowly, watching the area turn orange, red, purply before settling into a dark blue.

Time passed and when I reached his farm, lights were on inside Jesse's house. Nervously I walked up to his door and slowly put my fist up to knock on his door. I knocked once softly and the muffled sound of someone approaching came from behind the door.

His door opened to reveal Jesse. When he saw who I was he smiled and welcomed me in.

I entered the cheery bright interior of his home. It had changed since the last time I had been in here. The boxes were gone for one thing and more pictures were hanging on the walls, trinkets were placed around the room and a small round dining table was placed in the middle of the room.

The new pictures were mostly paintings of the Valley and a couple of vivid photos in different styles to emphasis the scene and emotion it was displaying. The trinkets were items from around the Valley which probably had some sentimental value. An empty wine bottle, several interesting rocks one of which had been cracked opened to reveal the sparkling blue crystals inside and a few empty packets which were probably rubbish. . .

His home had a welcoming feel to it like it was your home as well.

While I was looking at all the new differences in his home, Jesse had gone and brought out a wooden guitar. He sat on his bed and patted the space next to him. I sat next him and waited as he nervously cleared his throat.

'Um Nami please don't laugh if I sound . . . weird?'

Later I would think back to his song and remember nothing except that he had a rich, deep voice that made your heart ache and his song was something about home and the one you love? It was beautiful. When the song came to an end Jesse got up and went outside, leaving me on the bed.

He returned some minutes later bearing some turnips.

'Here, these are for Ruby, Rock and you. These are my second harvest of turnips.'

I smiled at the turnips offered to me. Aunt Ruby would definitely love them and Rick would love eating them too. I accepted them.

I got up to leave when I saw the photo on the bedside table. It was one of the ones I saw a week and a half ago, the one with a boy and girl. There was only one difference.

I knew who the boy was. He's the one in my dream.

* * *


End file.
